Surviving (Surrender 2)

I wiggle in my seat because her questions make me uncomfortable.

“I’ll tell you he is one of the finest men we know. He is her best friend and a groomsman in our wedding. Any man in this room will vouch for him. We trust him implicitly. As for the other pictures, you can look around this room and see six of the guys she’s been pictured with. The others are anyone from her brother to our friends.”

He takes a drink before continuing, “Brenda, I’m very possessive of Raven. She is being attacked online and I don’t like it. But we’re strong enough to handle it.”

“Your relationship is going to be tested severely as your nationwide popularity continues. I’ve even heard rumors about Sayge being invited to tour next summer.”

“If we get invited to go on tour, we’ll talk about it then. Raven and I live together and have no secrets. We’re aware of the challenges we face, but we’re not really here to talk about that.”

She blinks several times but gains her composure. “Well, congratulations on your upcoming nuptials. Can you share anything about the wedding? Are you getting married locally?”

“No, I think we need to keep that to ourselves.”

“Can you tell me anything about yourself Raven?”

“I’m usually a private person, but I’d like you to know about me and not whatever you find on the internet. I have a wonderful relationship with my family. My brother and best friend are hero’s and served in the Marines for many years. I’m a local girl. Declan and I met when he plowed me down in the park running after a football. I volunteer for numerous charity events, and I also run Sayge’s social media presence.” I answer her.

“If I can get this story bumped up for this Friday’s circulation, can SCENE have the exclusive on releasing the news of your engagement?”

We all look at Mike and Amber.

“Brenda, you can have the exclusive, but I need you to keep Raven’s name out of the paper as long as possible. This is off the record, but she is a student and she’s had some trouble in the past. I’m not stupid, I know her name’s going to get out, but I don’t want you to print it. You can just refer to her as Declan’s fiancée. We don’t want to disrupt her life. If you can do that, you can have the story and we will work on our end to promote the article coming out on Friday.” Mike tells her with authority in his voice.

“Done! This is going to be huge. A story like this is going to be good for both our careers. Raven, I’m sorry if it seemed like I was judging you. I was only trying to get to the bottom of the story. I hope these people lay off you once they know what you are to Sayge.”

Brenda asks a few more questions and then we finish. Cooper notices Declan’s new tattoo and comments on it. Declan raises my wrist proudly showing everyone. Nate makes a show of falling to the ground declaring he should have run away with me sooner.

Jay brings in a cooler full of beer from his car. Now that the interview is over, we relax and enjoy listening to Brenda tell stories of local bands. Once she was out of interrogation mode, she is actually a pretty cool lady.

*****

The exposé on Sayge did release on Friday. Brenda did a great job of humanizing the guys and expanded on their road to success. Each member has their own section.

Declan’s section was quite a bit longer. She did a delicate mention of his late mother and naming the band after her. Brenda describes Declan as a strong family man touching on his relationship with his dad and sisters. My stomach twists, trying to find the mention of our engagement. I finally see it.

I will tell you that in my twenty five years of journalism, it is very hard to surprise me. Declan Collins did just that. While interviewing the tattooed, bad boy rocker, I was floored when I met his lovely fiancée. YES–THAT’S RIGHT NASHVILLE–HIS FIANCÉE!! You could have pushed me over with a feather. Apparently Sayge has been excellent keeping their affairs to themselves. We know this woman from the video Surviving and I assumed she was a model that he met while shooting. Like most of you who follow Sayge in the media and internet, I have seen the rumors regarding this young lady. Well, let me tell you, they are wrong.

Declan and his fiancée have been together quite some time and she is the influence behind most of the new album. She is a local girl with close ties to the community. She is involved with several local charities and busy with her own career aspirations. According to all the members of the band, this young lady is part of Sayge. Her contributions to their success are numerous and she continues to stay involved in the day to day operations. With respect to her privacy, SCENE is withholding her name.

Throughout the years, I have seen many relationships falter under the pressure in the music industry. But after my brief time with this couple, I get the feeling nothing will tear them apart. So I hate to say it ladies, but Declan Collins is officially off-the-market. As for the details of the wedding, the secret is staying guarded with them.

There’s more about their upcoming schedules, show dates, and links to the websites. I laugh at the comment about my career aspirations. I guess that was her way of noting I was finishing my degree. I don’t think we ever told her I was in MBA school. My phone rings and my dad’s number flashes on the screen.

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nbsp; “Hey, Daddy.”

“So how long do you think you can remain anonymous?” He’s upset.

“Are you mad or concerned?”

“Concerned. I’ve done some research and learned there’s a fair share of celebrity types that attend Vanderbilt. I talked to the Senator last night and his daughter is in the undergrad program. He says the school is very good about watching out for its students. If there is any suspicious activity, school police are called. I talked to your mom and we are going to let you make the decision about security, but you need to be careful.”

“I hardly consider myself a celebrity. I think I’ll be fine.”

“You’re engagement just became public knowledge. People are going to figure out who you are sooner or later. Finn called about your personal pictures being leaked on the internet. I’m asking that you be aware of things going on around you at all times. Robbie told me about the fake pregnancy claim on Blake. It’s only a matter of time until Declan is wrapped up in that shit too.”

“I promise to be careful and let you know if I need any help.”